


Memories of Fire

by secretlyasummers



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Gen, Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 06:44:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16424411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretlyasummers/pseuds/secretlyasummers
Summary: Every year, Rachel makes sure to remember her parents, to mourn the Jean Grey and Scott Summers of Earth-811.





	Memories of Fire

“Rachel, are you sure that you want to do this alone, this year?” Kitty asked the other girl, quietly. Rachel was sitting on the balcony outsider her apartment, musing. “I can go with you, if you want. I know it’s been a difficult couple of weeks. If you want . . .”

“No,” Rachel said, quietly. “It’s . . . I just want a little bit of quiet. You know how I get, this time of year. I just need . . . I don’t know. Some time alone.” She glanced back at Kitty. “That’s fine, right?

“Of course, Ray. Sure.” Kitty put her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Take your phone, okay?”

Rachel nodded, and pushed herself to her feet. Then, letting fire surround her, Rachel flew into the air. She went south, from New York into Pennsylvania, searching for a little clearing in a forest. She landed, making her way to a little plaque in the ground.

_J. G. S._

_Lost, But Not Forgotten_

“Hi, Mom,” Rachel said. She sat down next to the plaque. “It’s been a long year since we’ve last talked. I’m sorry, I should have come back sooner.” Today, all those years ago, on Earth-811, Jean, Rachel’s Jean, had been killed. A Sentinel squadron had hunted her down while Jean was trying to evacuate some kids from the school to an Avengers compound in DC. Jean had made sure they’d all gotten away. But she hadn’t made it out.

Rachel had promised that she’d remember the spot, and she’d been sure to put a little memorial plaque once she’d gotten to the Earth-616. She’d done the same for Scott, but he had died a couple weeks before Jean did. She’d gone back to the plaque every year or so. To chat, and reminisce, and make sure her home wasn’t forgotten.

“Kitty wanted to come too. You remember Kitty, right? She means well. I just . . . I’m not sure she really understands. But still. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.” Rachel lay down, stretched out her arms behind her head. “You’d have liked her. Not like our Kate at all, I think.”

“I’m missing some weird things, recently. Like your cookies, Mom. The Jean here, I love her, but she has never been much of a cook. Well, you weren’t much of a cook either, Mom. Remember when we tried making Dad a cake, and we ended up with flour all over the kitchen? Professor Xavier was so angry.” She grinned, and just lay there quietly for a little bit. “Your cookies were always a little lumpy and misshapen. I think you only ever did it so that we had something to do together.”

“Maybe this Jean would want to do it with me.” She glanced at the little plaque. “Do you think you’d have been angry about that? I hope not. I’ve just . . . I’ve been really missing you. And Daddy. These last couple of weeks, with, well . . .”

She rolled over, and folded her arms like a pillow. “I keep thinking that if I close my eyes I’ll wake up as one of those . . . those things, again. When I can’t hide my markings. Forced to . . . to hurt people. That I’ll be killing Uncle Alex or Uncle Kurt all over again. I was so angry, Mom, for the longest time at you. When they were hitting me and hurting me, back in the camps. I blamed you for abandoning me, you and Dad. It wasn’t fair, I know, but . . . I’ve told you what it was like, Mom.”

Rachel shuddered. “People don’t really understand. Not even Kitty, or, or, the version of you and Dad here. And when Cassandra had me on that leash . . . Mom, I was fighting as hard as I could. I never, ever wanted to hurt the 616-you. You know that, right? But part of me, the Hound part, it _liked it_. It wanted to be on that leash, to obey and kill for Cassandra. Between that, and Mesmero . . .” Rachel stopped talking for a little bit. “They keep taking me back there, Mom. And I hate it. Used to think that the school was safe, that they couldn’t get me here.”

She paused for a little bit more. “Guess I was wrong.”

Rachel rolled over again, taking on a happier tone. “Let’s see . . . so, Nathan is dead, again. A bunch of time travel things. I’m sure he’s going to get better, eventually, but it’s still . . . Nathan is one of the people I can actually talk to, you know?”

She looked at the plaque. “Actually talk to. He’ll come back eventually, I’m sure, and his past self is still here.” She giggled, a little bit. “It’s been a really long time since I was the older sister, Mom. You’d have liked Nathan a lot. There’s a lot you two have in common, really. Just like the version of Mom here and Nathan. He’s got your sense of, I don’t know, responsibility. And Dad’s sense of humor.”

 “I think that I’d have liked a brother, if things hadn’t gotten all . . . bad, I guess.” Rachel let the silence extend a bit, thinking. “Not like we’d ever be normal family, but I’d have liked being a sister, without all the pressure of Maddie and the Phoenix and Inferno and everything. And you guys were terrible at throwing away my baby things anyway. Dad had them all neatly boxed in the closets. Lots of hand-me-downs.”

Rachel stood up. “I really miss you, Mom. I . . . it took me so long for me to get my memories back. I was so worried that I had forgotten you and Dad. Or that loving the versions of you on this world was an . . . insult, or something. I just . . . I hope that wherever you are, you guys are proud of me.” She waved her hand, and the Phoenix fire washed around the plaque, restoring it to look as good as new. “I love you, Mom. I’ll talk to you soon."


End file.
